In the art dealing with electric circuits, whether commercial, residential, or industrial, it is known to have switches controlling lighted areas. Customarily, such switches are wall-mounted. It is also known to use electric outlets, whereby appliances may be plugged into the outlets to be electrically connected for supplying power to the appliances.
It is also known in the art that, in some cases, as with wall-mounted switches or the like, an electric light may be employed in connection with the switch, powered to light the switch area, for example, for ease of location of the toggle or button switch in the dark. Generally, such lighting of switches is by employment of additional incandescent bulbs electrically connected to the switch itself, to be powered thereby.
The present invention is directed toward providing, for an electric switch, outlet, or other electric circuit element, a cover plate that is adapted to fit over a conventional electric switch, outlet or the like, to be mounted on the electric box that houses the switch, or outlet in the case of an outlet, and wherein a zone of lit area is provided, drawing its power from the electrical connection to the switch, outlet or the like, but wherein indicia is provided, directly associated with the lighted zone, to be lit thereby, in which the lighted indicia provides a useful labeling designation that is intimately associated with that particular switch, outlet or the like. The lighted zone is made lighted by using electroluminescent sheeting, powered by the electric circuit provided to the switch, outlet or the like, in which said sheeting lights up the entire zone in which the labeling or indicia exists.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel means for lighting up and labeling a zone on a cover plate for a switch, outlet or the like, in which information can be conveyed to the person using the switch, outlet or the like.
It is another object of this invention to accomplish the above object, wherein electroluminescent sheeting provides one or more lighted zones for the cover plate for a switch, outlet or the like.
It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein a protective cover is provided for the electroluminescent sheeting, disposed behind the plate member of the cover plate, sandwiching the electroluminescent sheeting between itself and the plate member of the cover plate.
It is yet another object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein electroluminescent sheeting has its electrical connection provided thereto by a separate, removable connector element, that, in turn, is electrically connected to the switch, outlet or the like.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus in accordance with the objects set forth above, in which a number of various different designations may be made on a multiple-switch plate, multiple-outlet plate (or gang plate), wherein individual switches, outlets or the like may be designated as controlling individual rooms, individual electric functions, or associated with individual circuits of a multi-circuit board.